# About Nocturne

> Nocturne is a free online piano that tries to feel like sitting at a real instrument, in any browser.

Web page: https://onlinevirtualpiano.netlify.app/about/ · Last updated: 2026-10-19

## Sponsor

Nocturne is sponsored and provided for free by [Pianoers.com](https://pianoers.com/), a site with piano reviews and guides for learners. Their support keeps this virtual piano free, without ads or sign-ups.

## The sound

The piano you hear is the **Salamander Grand Piano V3**, recorded by Alexander Holm from a Yamaha C5 grand and released under the [Creative Commons Attribution 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) licence. Nocturne uses 30 of its recordings, one every three semitones, and tunes the notes in between.

## How it works

Everything runs in your browser with the Web Audio API. Each key press plays a recording through a filter that makes soft notes darker, a volume envelope, a sustain pedal model and a reverb that imitates a concert hall. Up to 64 notes can sound at once.

## Accessibility

Every piano key is a labelled button, the controls work with the keyboard, and the light effects respect your system's reduced-motion setting where they can.

## Credits

- Piano samples: Salamander Grand Piano V3 by Alexander Holm, CC BY 3.0.
- Typefaces: Cormorant Garamond and Manrope, SIL Open Font License.
- Song melodies: traditional and public-domain works.